All Blacks coach is bullish about the prospect of claiming a record 18th
consecutive victory on Saturday in the Rugby Championship opener

Steve Hansen and the All Blacks stand on the brink of rugby history. Victory in the first game of the Rugby Championship against Australia in Brisbane and New Zealand will become the first senior rugby nation to win 18 Test matches on the bounce.

It is a formidable achievement that would take them past their great New Zealand predecessors of 1965-67 and the South African side of 1997-98.

But for Hansen there is no complacency and no sense that this game should be approached in anything other than the same professional manner that characterises his All Blacks side.

“We are really happy with our build-up and the team is hugely excited at the challenge that awaits us,” says Hansen. “The Bledisloe Cup is an extremely important trophy for us all and there is a strong desire within the group to begin the Championship on a positive note. We always enjoy playing Australia and this Test is no different.

“They’ve got one or two people that are game-breakers. Israel Folau is pretty special so when you’ve got those types of people in your team they can turn a game around.”

For Hansen, victory on Saturday would lay down a significant marker for next year’s World Cup when, barring a dramatic dip in form, the holders will start as warm favourites.

But New Zealand were given a decent test during the summer when England provided Hansen with some serious food for thought. Though the All Blacks inflicted a whitewash of victories, Hansen this week took time out from his Championship preparations to lavish praise on the side he believes are the most improved in the world.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, the former Wales coach paid tribute to the England squad and coaching team, suggesting that a change of rugby culture had transformed Stuart Lancaster’s side – the last team to beat the All Blacks, in December 2012 —into genuine contenders for the Webb Ellis Cup.

“I was really impressed with them, regardless of the series score,” Hansen said. “When you look at where they have come from and where they are now, you have to take your hat off to the people and the players who have made that happen. It doesn’t happen by chance.

“They are now trying to play a game of rugby that involves everyone. Against us, at times, they looked comfortable with that. What’s more, they are getting better and better at it.

“There’s another 13 months before the World Cup, so if they continue to work and develop that style and progress as they are, they could be a genuine contender. Playing on home soil will help, of course.

“The thing that has impressed me most about them is the change in their culture. This team is not the normal England style that we became used to seeing. This is a very humble England team that is working very, very hard to try and improve their game. And we have all seen the results of that hard work. In my opinion, playing that way makes them a lot more dangerous.

“Stuart Lancaster has done a very good job, but he is ably supported by a very good staff. I think Andy Farrell is a pretty impressive man, like Graham Rowntree and the former outside-half Mike Catt. They have clearly been doing some very good work with certain individuals and the pack as a unit.

“Coaching is not a one-man job these days. It’s about getting the right team of people together and from what I see, they have got the right team of people working with a talented squad. It’s a good combination to have.”

As for Wales, Hansen still has a soft spot for the principality, where he cut his teeth as an international coach. His work in blooding a new wave of young players seldom received the praise it deserved, although these days there are plenty who recognise that Hansen’s selfless approach set Welsh rugby back on the path to glory.

Still, like many others, he remains at a loss why Warren Gatland’s side continue to struggle to close out games against the southern hemisphere superpowers. This summer was another case in point, with Wales, having led South Africa by 16 points in the second Test, lost in the dying seconds when Liam Williams conceded a penalty try.

“Wales have been doing the damage up there, but they still haven’t got a great record against the southern hemisphere sides and I am not sure why,” Hansen said. “It has been the same story for a number of years. That said, I’m sure they will be working hard on it and if you look at the squad, there are some outstanding individuals in the squad. That helps.”

If New Zealand are to retain the trophy they won three years ago and remain on top of the rugby world, it will be more about their own development rather than that of others. Their progress during the summer was noteworthy, despite a laboured start in Auckland. “I think our first Test performance was quite poor, it was nothing like us,” he said. “I put that down to a lack of preparation time. However, as the series went on we got better and better and in the second Test, despite the single-point winning margin, I thought we were always in control. I never felt like we were going to lose.

“In the last Test, what really pleased me was our ability to score from the set-piece. We hadn’t done that for a while, so to try things and for them to come off in such a high profile Test against a side who had shown us how good they can be, was good. We scored some lovely tries off the line out and we played with a level of intensity that was more like what we expect of our players.”

More of the same will help Hansen and the current All Blacks make history.